Page 40 - index

INTELLIGENT BUILDINGS

NextGen Workspace in a Mall–Westfield
Makes a Bold Move

Realcomm Staff

T he last decade brought a flurry of new ideas and concepts and debate the newest ideas on how innovation, technology and
to the physical workplace, affecting not only where, but automation will impact the retail experience.
how we work. Telecommuting, hoteling, flex space, hot
desks, open plans, and benching are just some of the ventures There are so many paradigms colliding here that it is almost
associated with the mobility revolution. The fact is, laptops, smart impossible to reconcile. On-line shopping’s assault on traditional
phones, high-speed Internet access, the cloud and a multitude retail, the total rethinking of what an office should look like (from
of web based applications a millennial’s perspective), the blending of work/play/shop, and
(Salesforce, Skype, Webex, and
Dropbox, to name a few) have the obvious impact of mobility on the way we live are just a few
continued to redefine how we of the noticeable shifts taking place.
will work in the future.
At first glance this seems like a radical idea, but is it really?
Over the last year, the con- Many progressive office towers’ first floors are lined with retail,
structs of this mobility move- allowing a mixed use of office and retail. Bespoke is a reversal
ment have begun to bear results of this idea: a retail mall with strategically located office space,
in the form of space utilization. product demonstration areas and a presentation venue. It’s the
Just a few years back, corporate new combination of uses that deem it radical. Bespoke offers a
real estate executives would fresh look at the commingling of real estate uses for the purpose
whisper ‘75 percent’ when asked of creating excitement, energy and most importantly, foot traffic.
about how much space was
actually being used. Although such a project has so many positive aspects, such
change inevitably invites questions: What happens to the 65 per-
Fast forward to today. In almost cent of underutilized cube farms in the market? Will this be the
every conference on the topic, start of the office moving into the mall and will these new spaces
the new utilization rate for office space is 35-40 percent. The be as productive as anticipated? Can traditional offices and retail
reality is, the cube farms of the past are being underutilized. The spaces survive without change, or will integrated mixed use
perfected space attracting the best and brightest must be open, space become the new normal?
flexible, edgy, hip, and also offer amenities ranging from flawless
technology and artisan foods to a good old fashioned pool table. Office and retail space utilization is changing, morphing and
evolving and that undoubtedly brings significant impact to the
The idea of the cool, innovative workspace has evolved to a millions of owners and operators that have grown accustomed to
new level…enter the mall! the traditional uses of space.

Westfield Corp., one of the world’s largest retailers, has been For more information about Bespoke, visit: bespokesf.co
working diligently on something they call Westfield Labs, a group
of people specifically dedicated to applying technology, auto-
mation and innovation to the retail experience. Westfield Labs
recently announced one of their major new initiatives, Bespoke.

Bespoke will be a revolutionary new workspace located in
the Westfield San Francisco Centre, to be unveiled in the Spring
of 2015. This new concept will contain 35,000 square feet of
co-working, innovative technology demonstration areas and a
high-tech, sophisticated presentation theater—all in the middle
of a mall.

The idea is simple yet brilliant. Create an innovative office,
demo venue and business theater in a high energy, fun (food,
drink and shopping) retail setting in the city that is known glob-
ally for high tech innovation and allow people to present, discuss

38 Realcomm